Montreal Canadiens: Is Owen Beck NHL Ready?

When Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes selected Owen Beck with his third of three first-round selections at the 2022 NHL Draft, he was a relative unknown to fans. But upon checking his statistics, and hearing about his skillset from his head coach, the pick increasingly made more sense. Beck is a beautiful skater, with a knack for winning face-offs and playing a responsible two-way game.

Beck wasted little time asserting himself among the Canadiens prospects, ending up as one of the final cuts during last year’s training camp as an 18-year-old. He displayed dynamic skating, was fantastic in the face-off dot and was able to stand out amongst his peers.

He followed up his impressive training camp by winning the OHL championship with the Peterborough Petes, and he was no second fiddle, Beck was in the middle of everything.

While he is 19 years old, his options are limited to either the NHL or back to the OHL. This is a NHL-CHL transfer agreement rule that limits the number of teenagers that the CHL loses each year. However, it doesn’t work perfectly as Beck is the type of player that could benefit from playing pro next season in the AHL, but he is simply not eligible.

I believe that Beck is ready for the bright lights of professional hockey, but the Canadiens are loaded at forward. So, barring a few trades to move bodies out of the lineup, to open up a spot for Beck, there just won’t be room for him. At least not yet. Maybe that changes at the trade deadline when Sean Monahan is moved, and it would be perfect timing for Beck if he were allowed to start the season in the AHL, but that won’t be the case.

Should he wow Habs management at camp, he could force their hand in making some decisions, but it seems all but sure he will have to head back to the OHL.

Unfortunately, it isn’t a case of his readiness for the pro game, but the age factor, and the fact that moving players down to Laval requires waivers, which carries a risk. So, unless Beck leapfrogs Jake Evans or Christian Dvorak gets dealt, his fate is sealed.

Management’s decisions aren’t going to get any easier. Whether it be the start of the season, or at the trade deadline perhaps, it’s only a matter of time before Beck gets a shot. Once his OHL team’s season ends, he is then eligible to play in the NHL and could be called up late in the NHL season if he doesn’t make another run for an OHL championship.

Beck was called into duty for one game last season on an emergency basis as the Canadiens did not have enough players to ice a lineup. Whenever the young centre’s second NHL game comes, his poise and high IQ will be an asset for the Canadiens down the middle.

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